Last night we showed you the muddy conditions residents in the Jane Usher boulevard extension have to deal with when it rains. Well employees at the Family Court located in downtown Belize City say that is nothing because year-round they have to endure rain and sun in their offices.
The 20 government workers claim the adverse working conditions in the court located on the top floor of the Commercial Center is affecting their job performance. This is not the first time we've reported on these conditions but Public Service Union Dylan Reneau took 7NEWS on a tour of the building again today calling the situation unacceptable and in need of urgent attention.
Dylan Reneau, PSU President
“Since I’ve been up here I took a tour and looked at the bathrooms which are very dilapidated and deplorable. We’ve seen dripping water from every single corner of this building. We’ve seen where water is dripping on electrical equipment which is something dangerous and could cause a fire. We see where some water is dripping directly on the desks and people within this department.”
KS: So workers have to go through this everyday?
Dylan Reneau,
“Well you see it’s exacerbated because it’s raining. It’s a different working condition because it’s raining but when the sun is out it’s a different thing. Up here is very hot and the workers complain about the food smell from down there that is coming up here which is very disturbing. And I draw your attention to this screen up here where the sunlight is blinding and it’s shining directly into the faces of some of the workers. And in fact it’s extremely hot up here. Even those big fans that you see around the department basically circulates that hot air.”
KS: How is this affecting the workers’ performance?
Dylan Reneau,
“Well we are going through the process of public sector reform and what are some of the causes of poor performance. And if we take a look around this department you will see where one of the officers basically had to go home because he got wet; his foot is wet. So we lose a day of man hour work. We have to change the working conditions to ensure that there is productivity and unless we are serious about that the public service will forever have this cloud hanging over it.”
Reneau received a letter from Attorney General Francis Fonseca last month promising to address the situation in next year's budget. That was repeated to us by a government official who said GOB intends to move the Family Court into the planned new judicial complex. That however won't happen until the new financial year and the official stressed it is now merely a proposal.